To establish an efficient and accurate method for determining of δ18O values in water of honey, and systematically evaluate the applicability of this method in the geographical traceability and adulteration identification of honey.
A method for the determination of δ18O values in honey water was established based on the OIBW64 oxygen isotope balancing instrument in water of special samples coupled with stable isotope ratio mass spectrometry (OIBW64-IRMS). Integration and automation of sample pretreatment and measurement procedures were realized via ethanol dissolution, CO2-H2O equilibration and an auto-sampling system. The correlation between δ18O values in honey water and adulteration proportion was investigated through simulated adulteration experiments.Furthermore, 31 honey samples covering 9 varieties and collected from 11 provinces across China were analyzed.
This method had good injection stability, high gas tightness of the reaction system, no influence of ethanol and sample moisture content on the determination results, and the determination results were highly consistent with the mainstream analytical techniques [coefficient of determination (r2)>0.999]. In the simulated adulteration experiment, there was a highly linear correlation between the δ18O value in water of honey and the proportion of rice syrup added(Y=0.0956X–8.0719, r2=0.9903). This technique had the potential to identify adulteration and perform quantitative analysis. Sample analysis showed that there were significant geographical differences in the δ18O values in water of honey from different origins, and the transpiration characteristics, honey harvesting period, maturity, and other factors of honey source plants could also affect their δ18O values in water.
The OIBW64-IRMS method established in this study is stable, reliable and highly accurate, and is suitable for the analysis of δ18O values in water of honey. The δ18O value in water of honey not only demonstrates its potential application in identifying adulteration of C3 plant-based syrup, but also serves as a potential indicator for characterizing the characteristics of the production area and plants. This provides a new technical means for studying the authenticity of honey products.
| 科 Family | 属数 Number of genus | 种数 Number of species | 占总种数比例 Percentage of total species (%) | 属 Genus | 种数 Number of species | 占总种数比例 Percentage of total species (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 鹅膏菌科Amanitaceae | 2 | 11 | 5.26 | 鹅膏菌属 Amanita | 10 | 4.78 |
| 小菇科 Mycenaceae | 2 | 12 | 5.74 | 丝盖伞属 Inocybe | 5 | 2.39 |
| 多孔菌科 Polyporaceae | 8 | 14 | 6.70 | 蜡蘑属 Laccaria | 5 | 2.39 |
| 红菇科 Russulaceae | 3 | 23 | 11.00 | 小皮伞属 Marasmius | 6 | 2.87 |
| 小菇属 Mycena | 11 | 5.26 | ||||
| 光柄菇属 Pluteus | 5 | 2.39 | ||||
| 红菇属 Russula | 17 | 8.13 | ||||
| 栓菌属 Trametes | 5 | 2.39 |